


How long, baby, have I been away?

by Taliesin_niseilaT



Series: Meet Me In The Woods [6]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: 3x19 “The Once and Future Flash”, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Romance, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-28 02:06:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10821507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taliesin_niseilaT/pseuds/Taliesin_niseilaT
Summary: ‘Not everything’s shot to hell. No. Not quite everything.’ Barry takes his outstretched hand and follows Julian home.An encounter with Julian from the future may be just what Barry needs to figure out what to do about their tentative relationship in the present.





	How long, baby, have I been away?

**Author's Note:**

> As ever, the title is from ‘Meet Me In The Woods’ by Lord Huron.

_how long, baby, have I been away?_

 

_2017_

_Barry’s dying. A slow and painful death, there’s nothing for it now. It’s not even violent. A disease took him. He appears to be lying on a bed, struggling for breath. Something niggles at the edge of his consciousness and then there’s a hand gripping his own, pulling strongly. He’s in a forest now, the glow of sunlight overwhelming, and when he looks next to him, it’s Julian who holds his hand, smiling happily. He gestures for Barry to follow him through the trees._

_Barry doesn’t hesitate for a second._

He awakens with a start, his memory of the dream fading until it’s little more than an image of Julian holding his hand in the woods. Barry’s still half asleep when his phone buzzes with a text.

 

_Julian, 7:54 AM_

_Good morning, did you sleep well?_

Barry smiles at the unexpected gesture and finds himself dozing off for a bit before replying.

 

_Barry, 8:17 AM_

_I did, and you? See you at S.T.A.R. labs?_

_Julian, 8:20 AM_

_One day I’ll beat you there._

Barry laughs and rolls over to look at his alarm clock, which indicates it’s time for him to get up and go take a look at the future. _Well then. Here we go._

Definitely breakfast first, though.

 

_2024_

 

Barry twists the piece of future technology in his hands. It’s not much to go on, but he’ll see what Cisco can make of it. All he knows now is that he can’t leave just yet. Before Barry goes home, he stops by Julian’s makeshift prison/lab, finds Julian with his nose buried in a book. He’s not quite able to hide his smile when he spots Barry.

‘Hello, Barry.’

‘I just wanted to see how you were doing.’

‘Better. Thank you.’ He puts down his book and takes notice of Barry looking nervous. He thinks he knows why.

 

‘Two thousand seventeen,’ Julian muses quietly before pinning Barry down with a curious look. ‘Did we get together yet?’

Barry smiles ruefully. ‘I’m not sure. We kissed.’

‘You’ll get there. It was good, for a while. But we’re not together anymore,’ Julian tells him.

‘What happened?’

‘You know what happened. Iris died. You left us all.’

‘Even you?’

Julian barks out a laugh. ‘Yes, Allen. Even me.’

‘I don’t get it. But I promise it won’t happen this time around.’ Barry’s promises are always so sincere. It’s heartbreaking. Julian shakes his head sadly. ‘You’ll try. Maybe it will be enough now.’ They stare at each other for a long moment.

 

Barry breaks their eye contact, looks around the lab, dark and dingy. ‘Where do you live, Julian?’

‘There’s an apartment upstairs. Not everything’s shot to hell.’ Julian’s eyes are soft and surprisingly warm on Barry’s face, ‘No. Not quite everything.’ Barry takes his outstretched hand and follows Julian home.

 

Julian takes him, takes all of him. Pulls him apart and puts him back together. Kisses him until his skin bruises, bites and soothes the marks with his tongue. Works him open with his fingers, eyes full of wonder when they realise at the same time that Barry’s technically a virgin. ‘Only you,’ Barry says softly, kissing Julian deeply.

‘This me? Or past me?’

Barry smiles. ‘It’s one and the same person, isn’t it?’

‘No,’ Julian says, ‘It has to be your Julian.’ His hands leave Barry bare and untouched.

Barry’s face falls. ‘Oh. So we’re not having sex, then.’

‘No need to look so disappointed,’ Julian reassures him, ‘I’m not leaving you to your own devices.’ Julian pins him down and swallows his moans as he jerks Barry off, knowing exactly what to do to drive him crazy. Barry’s uncertain of what to do, but Julian guides his hands where he wants them and pants into the hot skin of Barry’s neck when he comes.

 

Julian’s warm and pliant in his arms, curling up against him happily. Barry seems restless, though, not quite able to keep still and just _breathe._ Always impatient, always itching to move on to the next adventure. Julian knows this very well, but it still stings a little.

‘Go home, Barry,’ Julian says, pressing a warm hand over Barry’s heart, ‘It’s not too late.’

Barry nods, kisses him one more time, and says, ‘I won’t let this bleak future happen to us. Any of us.’

‘I believe you,’ Julian says simply.

 

_2017_

 

Once he gets home, barely sparing a second to flick on some lights in his apartment, Barry pulls out his phone and dials, not giving himself time to change his mind. ‘Julian? I need to see you.’

Julian laughs breathily. ‘You saw me half an hour ago at S.T.A.R. labs.’

‘I mean in private,’ Barry says with a smile in his voice.

‘Well, if you don’t mind that I’m wearing pyjamas, you can come over.’

 

Barry graciously waits out five minutes before flashing over to Julian’s place and knocking on the door. ‘It’s open.’

Julian’s unfairly gorgeous, lounging on his bright red couch in tight black boxers and a pale grey T-shirt with the periodic table of elements printed on it. ‘You’re such a nerd,’ Barry grins.

‘ _Please,_ Allen. Like you’re just the epitome of cool.’

‘Fair point.’ Barry settles himself down next to Julian and looks at him so intensely that Julian shifts in his seat, a little uncomfortable. ‘Why are you staring?’

Barry pulls up one eyebrow. ‘You’re not wearing any pants and it’s very... distracting.’

 

Julian blushes and reaches out to entangle his fingers with Barry’s. ‘Tell me about the future,’ he says softly, and Barry knows he means _our future._ ‘We were together for a while, apparently. But I turned my back on everyone after Iris...’ Julian puts an arm around Barry. He moves in closer and puts his head on Julian’s shoulder. ‘I promised I’d try harder this time.’ Julian’s fingers slide over his skin, tilting his chin up, bringing him in close for a kiss. Barry melts into his arms so easily, as if they’ve done this a hundred times before. They settle into a comfortable position to continue kissing until Barry pulls away.

 

‘Look,’ Barry says, ‘Before we get, er, carried away...’ He looks down at Julian’s shapely ankles draped across his lap, stroking them absent-mindedly. ‘There’s something I need to tell you.’

‘Okay,’ Julian says expectantly.

Barry takes a deep breath. ‘I had a bit of a... tryst, earlier. With future you.’

Julian blinks slowly. ‘And what exactly constitutes _a bit of a tryst_ to you?’

Barry blushes scarlet. ‘I – um. It was... really nice. I mean, it was just – I totally get it if this upsets you.’ He sputters for a bit more until Julian gives him a pointed look and he finally whispers, ‘A mutual handjob.’

 

Julian’s face is unreadable for a few endless seconds. Then he bursts out laughing. ‘Fucking time travel,’ Julian almost hiccups with laughter, ‘What has my life come to if my future self goes around giving my guy epic handjobs?’ Barry quietly observes these uncharacteristical hysterics. It didn’t escape his attention that Julian just called him _my guy._ ‘Are you alright?’ Barry asks eventually. Julian wipes a few tears from his cheeks. ‘God, yes, fine. Sorry. That was just... not what I expected, at all.’

‘Did I –’ Barry swallows with difficulty, ‘Did I fuck up?’

‘No more so than usual.’

‘Thanks. I think.’

 

Julian smiles and reaches out to pull Barry in for another kiss. Lazily unbuttons Barry’s shirt. Flicks his tongue against Barry’s neck teasingly, doing it again when he’s rewarded with a moan. Arches into the touch of Barry’s hands on his naked chest. He discovers a disturbingly fresh hickey on the back of Barry’s neck and arches up an eyebrow. Barry turns an even darker shade of red and Julian decides that his future self is an asshole. ‘Julian, er, it’s – I didn’t know he did that –’

‘Oh, shut up,’ Julian says with a grin, latching his mouth onto the same spot, sucking and biting until the bruise is covered up with new hickeys. ‘Alright?’ he asks Barry, who stares at him with wide, dark eyes. ‘Fuck yeah,’ he says. Julian slowly reaches down, a bit unsure now. ‘Please,’ Barry gasps, leading Julian to his belt buckle.

‘Okay,’ Julian says, ‘But we’re not getting naked yet. I don’t want you to think I just put out for anyone who drops by.’ The smile in his eyes tells Barry that it’s a joke. Probably a jab at his encounter with future Julian.

 

Barry leans over and pushes Julian down on the couch, settling on top of him after kicking his trousers off. Barry’s boxers are a lovely shade of green that Julian loves right away. He grabs at Barry’s ass to bring them in _perfect,_ glorious contact. His long, bare legs wrap around Barry as they rut against each other desperately. ‘Fuck, you feel so good,’ Barry hisses into his ear. ‘I know what you mean,’ Julian grinds out and then Barry kisses him roughly and they forget everything for a few breathtaking minutes.

 

Afterwards, Julian pulls him into the bedroom after an awkward pause in the bathroom. He wishes he’d had a moment to tidy up. It’s been a while since anyone slept over. Barry doesn’t joke about Julian not being as neat at home as he is at work. He simply kisses him goodnight and easily slips into sleep. Julian expects to lie awake for some time as usual, but he dozes off soon too. He thinks it might be – well, _of course_ it’s because Barry’s wrapped in his arms, but when Julian dreams of kissing Barry by a little stream that night, he feels like there might be a happy ending for them after all.


End file.
